Parents petition for new high school

Monday

May 13, 2013 at 4:52 PM

A group of citizens is urging Davidson County commissioners to fund a new high school in the northern end of the county.

BY NASH DUNNThe Dispatch

A group of citizens is urging Davidson County commissioners to fund a new high school in the northern end of the county.Several people have signed a letter drafted by Midway resident Neal Motsinger, which calls for commissioners to allocate money for the construction of the proposed school in the next fiscal year. He also asked the Midway Town Council last week for its support; members took no action.Principals and parents say the school is needed to quell overcrowding issues at North Davidson and Ledford high schools.Commissioners debated how to fund the school several times this year, including a possible quarter-cent sales tax hike or bond referendum. However, nothing has been set in stone, and while some commissioners deem the project their No. 1 priority, others say the proposed Davidson County Sheriff's Office and industrial park projects should take precedence. Motsinger, the co-owner of Motsinger Precast Products off of Clodfelter Road, has one daughter who attends North Davidson High School, a second daughter who attends Oak Grove Middle School and a third daughter who attends Midway Elementary School. He said he wants to ensure his daughters and other students can go to school without worrying about overcrowding."Having a student at all of those schools, I've experienced the overcrowding and how it is at the senior high and the middle school," Motsinger said. "I've seen how much better it is since Oak Grove has opened up."School officials opened Oak Grove Middle School last fall, which they said alleviated overcrowding issues at North Davidson and Ledford middle schools.Davidson County commissioners, which allocated funding for the middle school, also planned to build the high school, according to the county's capital improvement plans.While the new high school's total price tag is estimated at $45 million, the actual cost may not be that high.Davidson County owns the land where the proposed high school would be built, which is across from Oak Grove Middle School off Hoy Long Road. The appropriate sewer infrastructure is already in place at the proposed location, as well as a roundabout.Ledford High School Principal Jonathan Brown, who has also worked at North Davidson High School, said both schools have dire space needs."For us, it's all about safety and having room for our students, which we currently do not," Brown said.While Ledford High School was built to accommodate about 700 to 800 students, actual enrollment fluctuates from 1,220 to 1,250 students each year, Brown said."It makes our daily logistics complicated," Brown said, adding that the school's cafeteria, media center and other common areas are often used as classroom space. About 13 roving teachers don't have a classroom, he said.In addition, Brown said the school is somewhat landlocked, extinguishing the possibilities for an expansion to the school. Mobile units aren't a viable option either, he said, because of infrastructure and other statutory requirements.The new high school was the Davidson County Schools' top capital outlay request for the 2013-14 school year.Davidson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Fred Mock said he has received a copy of Motsinger's letter.Mock said it's hard to tell if parents or citizens would look favorably on a potential sales tax or school bond referendum."I know when you look at a bond, the philosophy the school board has always had in the past is, 'Can it be widespread enough that there would be some ownership of some different areas of the county?'" Mock said.The county could start financing the project as early as Fiscal Year 2014-15, according to the county's most current capital improvement plan. The county would budget spending $15 million for three consecutive years, according to the plan.Nash Dunn can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at nash.dunn@the-dispatch.com.

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